Sheikh Azmat Saeed (; 28 August 1954 – 12 February 2025) was a judge from the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

. He served the judiciary in various capacities and was part of several significant cases and decisions in Pakistan's legal history.

Early life and career

Saeed commenced his legal career in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

in 1978 following the completion of his LL.B degree. He gained experience by working in different law chambers before eventually establishing his own independent practice in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in 1980. Subsequently, in 1981, he was enrolled as an Advocate of the

Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is a provincial court house based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over the province of Punjab. The High Court's principal seat is ...

and also as an Advocate of the

, marking significant milestones in his legal profession.

Appointment as Supreme Court judge

Saeed was sworn in as a permanent judge of the Supreme Court on 1 June 2012. The oath-taking ceremony was presided over by the

Chief Justice of Pakistan The chief justice of Pakistan ( initials as CJP; , ''Munsif-e-Āzam Pākistān'') is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and is the highest-ranking officer of the Pakistani judiciary. The Federal Court of Pakistan was establis ...

at the time, Justice

Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry (; born 12 December 1948) is a Pakistani jurist who served as the 20th Chief Justice of Pakistan over three non-consecutive terms from 29 June 2005 to 11 December 2013. Chaudhry began practice as an advocate of the S ...

. Before assuming this role, Saeed held the position of Chief Justice at the Lahore High Court.

Acting Chief Justice of Pakistan

In July 2019, Saeed took on the role of acting

Controversies and legal challenges

A petition was filed to challenge Saeed's assignment as the leader of the inquiry committee for the Broadsheet LLC scandal. Nevertheless, the petition was rejected. In another case, the government retracted Saeed's selection as an arbitrator for resolving a conflict concerning Rs52 billion with 12 independent power producers (IPPs) established under the 2002 policy.

Retirement and post-retirement work

Saeed concluded his tenure at the Supreme Court in 2019 and was commemorated with full-court reference within the Supreme Court. During his farewell address, Saeed emphasized the significance of maintaining an impartial judiciary and expressed his desire for an uninterrupted provision of justice without any compromises. Following his retirement, Saeed was appointed to lead the government's inquiry committee tasked with investigating the Broadsheet LLC scandal.

Death

Saeed died after a lengthy illness on 12 February 2025, at the age of 70, at a hospital in

, where he had been receiving treatment for some time.Ex-Supreme Court judge Azmat Saeed Sheikh passes away after prolonged illness
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Recognition

Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, in his comments, described Saeed as a valuable asset to the superior judiciary. He acknowledged that the departing judge had authored numerous significant judgements and clarified many ambiguous issues during his tenure at the highest court.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saeed, Azmat 1954 births 2025 deaths 21st-century Pakistani judges 21st-century judges Pakistani judges People from Rawalpindi Punjab University Law College alumni Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan